Consultation

A manager has discussed the need to increase team output, identified the needed performance levels, and planned to acquire necessary technology, develop new processes, and train HR staff. What else does the manager need to do? > Develop a rationale for the change in early communications with senior management. > Build commitment within the team to the changes and reinforce it regularly. > Prepare an alternate course of action if there is resistance to the change. > Implement the plan and then monitor and control its implementation.

Answer: Build commitment within the team to the changes and reinforce it regularly. The manager has created awareness and planned effectively to implement the change. The manager needs to create the desire to make the necessary changes within the team and then reinforce it periodically, perhaps by celebrating team achievements. This helps institutionalize the change and make it a permanent part of the HR organization.

The CEO of a sales company hires an HR consultant to assess the company's organizational structure, operating model, and culture due to declining sales, increasing expenses, and workforce environment challenges. The CEO asks the consultant to share the results with key stakeholders to gain support for the recommended changes. Because the company has little market competition, the CEO thinks the company's poor results stem from company-based issues and its inability to leverage its robust IT infrastructure. The HR consultant analyzes the company's financial statements and business processes and confidentially interviews every employee in the company to determine why the company is struggling. The consultant also works as an employee in every department in order to get a realistic understanding of how the company operates. The consultant's analysis reveals that the company has no mission statement, no company-wide or departmental goals, and no individual goals to hold employees accountable. Additionally, no formal recruitment, onboarding, or training procedures exist. The consultant thinks the poor results are caused by poorly trained sales representatives. Customer loyalty is strong; however, it is because of the low-cost products not easily found elsewhere. Which action should the HR business consultant take to gain the support of the key stakeholders in order to implement recommended changes? > Build strong relationships with key stakeholders and transparently share the benefits and risks of the changes. > Propose the changes needed and aggressively defend the proposal to anyone who is against it. > Present the benefits of the changes in a transparent and well-structured manner and deemphasize the risks. > Implement the changes needed and then ask the stakeholders for support during implementation.

Answer: Build strong relationships with key stakeholders and transparently share the benefits and risks of the changes. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

The CEO of a sales company hires an HR consultant to assess the company's organizational structure, operating model, and culture due to declining sales, increasing expenses, and workforce environment challenges. The CEO asks the consultant to share the results with key stakeholders to gain support for the recommended changes. Because the company has little market competition, the CEO thinks the company's poor results stem from company-based issues and its inability to leverage its robust IT infrastructure. The HR consultant analyzes the company's financial statements and business processes and confidentially interviews every employee in the company to determine why the company is struggling. The consultant also works as an employee in every department in order to get a realistic understanding of how the company operates. The consultant's analysis reveals that the company has no mission statement, no company-wide or departmental goals, and no individual goals to hold employees accountable. Additionally, no formal recruitment, onboarding, or training procedures exist. The consultant thinks the poor results are caused by poorly trained sales representatives. Customer loyalty is strong; however, it is because of the low-cost products not easily found elsewhere. What is the critical first step the HR business consultant should do to determine the return on investment (ROI) of a new sales training program? > Talk to the IT department to determine what new skills the sales team needs to learn. > Talk to the sales team about what new skills they need to learn. > Call several vendors to gather more information regarding training outcomes, price, and schedule. > Calculate the ROI by dividing the revenue gained minus the cost of these types of programs based on data from similar sales companies.

Answer: Call several vendors to gather more information regarding training outcomes, price, and schedule. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

An organization is considering restructuring its sales function to align its salespeople against key vertical markets. HR is charged with exploring this initiative. What should HR do first? > Schedule a meeting with salespeople. > Communicate the change to the organization. > Complete an environmental scan. > Communicate the change to customers.

Answer: Complete an environmental scan. Before making such a change, the organization should complete an environmental scan. The environmental scan will help the organization to determine if such a change is necessary and what benefits it could expect to receive from the restructuring.

The director of the HR department is taking personal leave for three weeks and assigns an HR employee to work with a consulting firm to conduct a strategic planning process for the company. The consulting firm conducts interviews with 10% of the employees, but none of the interviews is with line staff. The HR employee feels that the consulting firm's approach did not fully capture the information required to support the strategic planning process, so the HR employee decides to conduct a separate data collection. The HR employee develops a company-wide survey, gains buy-in from key leaders, and presents the survey to the executive team. Once approved by the executive team, the employee administers the survey and achieves a 77% response rate. The company's CEO shares the survey results with the consulting firm so it can implement the next phase of the strategic planning process. Line workers were excluded from the initial interviews, which negatively affected employee morale. Which is the best approach for the HR employee to mend this relationship? > Send out a company-wide email asking for honest feedback from the employees about how the employees feel about the situation. > Conduct a meeting with the company managers to ask for suggestions to help improve employee morale. > Conduct HR-led focus groups to ask about line workers' concerns and establish next steps. > Send out a company-wide email apologizing to line workers for their exclusion from the initial interviews.

Answer: Conduct HR-led focus groups to ask about line workers' concerns and establish next steps. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

To attract talented university students, a public accounting firm offers an internship program to students who have completed 75% of their coursework. If a student is successful during the internship, the firm offers the student a position after graduation and provides opportunities for the student to study for the industry licensure exam. The firm pays for the exam and provides additional compensation once the student successfully completes the exam. For the past several years, the firm has seen an increasing rate of turnover among newly licensed employees. While it is common in the industry for employees to leave public accounting after they are licensed, the firm is losing many of its licensed employees to competitors. The high rate of turnover is negatively affecting the firm's performance. The HR manager has been charged with reducing the number of employees leaving for competitive firms as quickly and efficiently as possible. The accounting firm's leadership team requests information on the reasons employees stay. What should the HR manager do to respond to the leadership team's request? > Conduct an anonymous online survey that asks employees to identify the reasons they stay. > Contact HR directors in other accounting firms to learn the reasons their employees stay. > Conduct a focus group with a random sample of employees to find out the reasons they stay with the organization. > Ask supervisors to identify what they do to encourage the employees in their departments to stay.

Answer: Conduct a focus group with a random sample of employees to find out the reasons they stay with the organization. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

A company's rapid growth is resulting in demand to hire new team members. Recognizing the need to ensure that the right talent is brought into the company, a newly hired HR director implements a more structured hiring process to assess applicants' skills, compensation needs, and culture fit. However, many managers do not support the new hiring process, claiming it slows down the hiring cycle. In addition, the managers believe that the initial salary and bonus recommendations resulting from HR's recently updated compensation structures are not reflective of market demand. The managers claim this situation is causing candidates to decline their offers of employment. How should the HR director address the managers' resistance to using a more structured hiring process? > Invite the managers to escalate any concerns regarding the new process to the head of HR. > Conduct a management training session to explain the business needs driving the process changes. > Send an e-mail to the managers encouraging them to embrace the changes as they work with the HR business partner. > Create a hybrid approach between the old and new methods to show that HR is a partner to the business.

Answer: Conduct a management training session to explain the business needs driving the process changes. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

To attract talented university students, a public accounting firm offers an internship program to students who have completed 75% of their coursework. If a student is successful during the internship, the firm offers the student a position after graduation and provides opportunities for the student to study for the industry licensure exam. The firm pays for the exam and provides additional compensation once the student successfully completes the exam. For the past several years, the firm has seen an increasing rate of turnover among newly licensed employees. While it is common in the industry for employees to leave public accounting after they are licensed, the firm is losing many of its licensed employees to competitors. The high rate of turnover is negatively affecting the firm's performance. The HR manager has been charged with reducing the number of employees leaving for competitive firms as quickly and efficiently as possible. What should the HR manager do to get buy-in from the accounting firm's leadership team to implement employee retention initiatives? > Create a business case that supports how the retention initiatives will reduce turnover. > Describe to leaders the expected return on investment associated with implementing the retention initiatives. > Ask leaders to identify retention initiatives they would like to see implemented. > Explain to the leadership team that their full support is necessary to reduce turnover.

Answer: Create a business case that supports how the retention initiatives will reduce turnover. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

The CEO of a sales company hires an HR consultant to assess the company's organizational structure, operating model, and culture due to declining sales, increasing expenses, and workforce environment challenges. The CEO asks the consultant to share the results with key stakeholders to gain support for the recommended changes. Because the company has little market competition, the CEO thinks the company's poor results stem from company-based issues and its inability to leverage its robust IT infrastructure. The HR consultant analyzes the company's financial statements and business processes and confidentially interviews every employee in the company to determine why the company is struggling. The consultant also works as an employee in every department in order to get a realistic understanding of how the company operates. The consultant's analysis reveals that the company has no mission statement, no company-wide or departmental goals, and no individual goals to hold employees accountable. Additionally, no formal recruitment, onboarding, or training procedures exist. The consultant thinks the poor results are caused by poorly trained sales representatives. Customer loyalty is strong; however, it is because of the low-cost products not easily found elsewhere. What course of action should the HR business consultant recommend that the CEO take when creating new goals for the company's employees? > Create difficult and challenging goals so employees can strive to be the best, even if the goals may not be realistic. > Create amorphous goals that can be used as a method to decide whether employees should receive bonuses. > Create detailed annual goals that are relevant to the company's mission and that can be aligned with the company's performance management system. > Develop general goals that aren't too specific or measurable so that the company does not put too much stress on the employees.

Answer: Create detailed annual goals that are relevant to the company's mission and that can be aligned with the company's performance management system. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

The director of the HR department is taking personal leave for three weeks and assigns an HR employee to work with a consulting firm to conduct a strategic planning process for the company. The consulting firm conducts interviews with 10% of the employees, but none of the interviews is with line staff. The HR employee feels that the consulting firm's approach did not fully capture the information required to support the strategic planning process, so the HR employee decides to conduct a separate data collection. The HR employee develops a company-wide survey, gains buy-in from key leaders, and presents the survey to the executive team. Once approved by the executive team, the employee administers the survey and achieves a 77% response rate. The company's CEO shares the survey results with the consulting firm so it can implement the next phase of the strategic planning process. The representative for the consulting company that was hired to perform the work has found out about the survey initiated by the HR employee. The representative is unhappy about the consulting company's work being disregarded and demands an explanation from the HR employee. How should the HR employee handle this? > Recommend that the representative speak with the senior leader who approved the use of the new company survey. > Discuss with the consulting firm employees which areas were missed to help them complete the strategic planning process. > Explain to the representative that action had to be taken immediately to keep the employees from getting too upset. > Explain the problems that arose to the representative of the consulting company.

Answer: Discuss with the consulting firm employees which areas were missed to help them complete the strategic planning process. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

A company's rapid growth is resulting in demand to hire new team members. Recognizing the need to ensure that the right talent is brought into the company, a newly hired HR director implements a more structured hiring process to assess applicants' skills, compensation needs, and culture fit. However, many managers do not support the new hiring process, claiming it slows down the hiring cycle. In addition, the managers believe that the initial salary and bonus recommendations resulting from HR's recently updated compensation structures are not reflective of market demand. The managers claim this situation is causing candidates to decline their offers of employment. Which action should the HR director take to best ensure that the company's compensation structures are competitive? > Engage a third-party consulting firm to do a full analysis of job types and associated compensation structures. > Use salary information available on the Internet to benchmark current job types to market data. > Implement changes to the current compensation structures by working with the recruiting team to gather candidate compensation expectations. > Encourage managers to send HR specific examples of compensation concerns, using these as input to update compensation structures.

Answer: Engage a third-party consulting firm to do a full analysis of job types and associated compensation structures. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

Which approach should help the change process go more smoothly? > Telling employees that change is critical to the organization's survival > Assigning HR lead responsibility for the change initiative > Having representatives from senior management announce the change > Ensuring that employees have input into change alternatives

Answer: Ensuring that employees have input into change alternatives Ensuring that employees have input into change alternatives

HR meets with team leaders to analyze the pros and cons of a suggested change. As a group, they brainstorm about factors that could positively or negatively influence the outcome of the change. Factors are assigned weights in order to quantify the pros and cons and assist the leaders in their decision making. What type of analysis is the group using? > SWOT analysis > Force-field analysis > Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) > Cost-benefit analysis

Answer: Force-field analysis Force-field analysis tries to identify conditions needed to make change possible. Based on a force-field analysis, the group can decide to pursue opportunities with scores showing favorability for change or avoid changes that face very strong resistance. They might also use analysis results in deciding how to allocate resources to mitigate negative risks and enhance opportunities.

An HR consultant wants to recommend implementing a quality-oriented strategy that will increase revenue for the organization. Which would be the best first step to implementing the strategy? > Implement quality assurance practices in all parts of the company. > Train work units in new quality assurance procedures. > Gain management commitment to necessary investments and changes. > Develop a rewards system that is aligned with quality results.

Answer: Gain management commitment to necessary investments and changes. Quality initiatives must begin with management commitment, since they involve significant change, investment in equipment and training, and possibly temporary loss of productivity.

A firm has just announced a major reorganization to its employees. Which is most likely to happen first after the initial shock of the news? > A major exodus of key employees will occur. > Employees will surrender to the change and try to define their own places. > Individuals may deny the reality of the change. > Employees will suggest adaptive strategies.

Answer: Individuals may deny the reality of the change. After the initial shock has passed, it is common for individuals to deny that the change will happen or is beneficial. Individuals focus on the past, believing that the past situation was acceptable or better and change was not needed.

Which action best illustrates HR's strategic role in an organizational change initiative? > Dealing with resistance to organizational change > Monitoring and ensuring compliance with change > Instituting radical changes in the organization > Influencing and affecting management's view of organizational change

Answer: Influencing and affecting management's view of organizational change In its strategic role, HR influences management's view of the organizational change, helping management identify and deal with organizational change issues before any action is taken. Once senior management institutes the changes, however, HR plays a secondary role in dealing with possible resistance and monitoring compliance.

The CEO of a small local company has decided that the organization needs to embrace a model of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Despite a formal strategy not being in place, the organization has been using the principles of CSR in certain circumstances. The CEO wants the HR manager to help lead the corporate change. This change involves mindset, planning, and helping everyone embrace the change. HR is not viewed as a true partner to the organization currently, so this will be a challenge. The CEO is seeking to create a company known for treating people well, operating in a sustainable manner, and giving to worthy causes. This change will be more noticeable in some departments than in others. Because of this, the CEO would like to start with a word-of-mouth campaign prior to a large company-wide announcement. The CEO wants the HR manager to put together a plan within two to four weeks that creates this low-key way to work toward the CSR culture for the organization. HR and the CEO discuss that it will be a long-term process for change to be fully implemented. The CEO understands this but wants a plan no later than one month from the meeting. What action should the HR manager take to influence the CEO about the difficulty in meeting the timeline? > Implement a rewards and incentive approach to motivate the team to get the project done on time. > Complete as much as possible to show a good effort, and then renegotiate the time line. > Meet with the CEO to review essential portions of the project and the time line challenges. > Wait until closer to the end of the time line to see if there are any issues with meeting it.

Answer: Meet with the CEO to review essential portions of the project and the time line challenges. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

A company's rapid growth is resulting in demand to hire new team members. Recognizing the need to ensure that the right talent is brought into the company, a newly hired HR director implements a more structured hiring process to assess applicants' skills, compensation needs, and culture fit. However, many managers do not support the new hiring process, claiming it slows down the hiring cycle. In addition, the managers believe that the initial salary and bonus recommendations resulting from HR's recently updated compensation structures are not reflective of market demand. The managers claim this situation is causing candidates to decline their offers of employment. As the business continues to expand in support of the company's strategic direction, how should the HR director address longer-term hiring needs? > Implement a workforce planning group that focuses on long-term talent management. > Implement an internal process to review talent needs annually during the strategic planning process. > Conduct information-gathering sessions with company leaders to understand future workforce needs. > Participate in strategic planning sessions to help align HR talent practices with the future business direction.

Answer: Participate in strategic planning sessions to help align HR talent practices with the future business direction. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

The CEO of a small local company has decided that the organization needs to embrace a model of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Despite a formal strategy not being in place, the organization has been using the principles of CSR in certain circumstances. The CEO wants the HR manager to help lead the corporate change. This change involves mindset, planning, and helping everyone embrace the change. HR is not viewed as a true partner to the organization currently, so this will be a challenge. The CEO is seeking to create a company known for treating people well, operating in a sustainable manner, and giving to worthy causes. This change will be more noticeable in some departments than in others. Because of this, the CEO would like to start with a word-of-mouth campaign prior to a large company-wide announcement. The CEO wants the HR manager to put together a plan within two to four weeks that creates this low-key way to work toward the CSR culture for the organization. HR and the CEO discuss that it will be a long-term process for change to be fully implemented. The CEO understands this but wants a plan no later than one month from the meeting. What action should the HR manager take first to begin creating a culture that embraces CSR? > Partner with the heads of each department of the organization to review their current practices around CSR. > Spend time visiting other companies with an integrated CSR culture, using this as the basis for the plan. > Since there is very little time, independently change the culture so that it embraces CSR. > Send an e-mail to the company asking for input and then form committees to discuss this.

Answer: Partner with the heads of each department of the organization to review their current practices around CSR. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

Which should be the first step in solving an organization's problems with a sharp increase in back orders of shipments? > Instituting a job rotation program > Performing a process analysis > Recruiting additional skilled employees > Developing a soft-skills training program

Answer: Performing a process analysis

The CEO of a small local company has decided that the organization needs to embrace a model of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Despite a formal strategy not being in place, the organization has been using the principles of CSR in certain circumstances. The CEO wants the HR manager to help lead the corporate change. This change involves mindset, planning, and helping everyone embrace the change. HR is not viewed as a true partner to the organization currently, so this will be a challenge. The CEO is seeking to create a company known for treating people well, operating in a sustainable manner, and giving to worthy causes. This change will be more noticeable in some departments than in others. Because of this, the CEO would like to start with a word-of-mouth campaign prior to a large company-wide announcement. The CEO wants the HR manager to put together a plan within two to four weeks that creates this low-key way to work toward the CSR culture for the organization. HR and the CEO discuss that it will be a long-term process for change to be fully implemented. The CEO understands this but wants a plan no later than one month from the meeting. What action should the HR manager take to encourage employees to embrace this cultural change? > Provide values-based change management workshops that actively involve employees. > Have a company-wide meeting explaining why the changes are necessary. > Change the terminology being used to reflect the cultural shift. > Meet with managers and instruct them to meet with their reports.

Answer: Provide values-based change management workshops that actively involve employees. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

To attract talented university students, a public accounting firm offers an internship program to students who have completed 75% of their coursework. If a student is successful during the internship, the firm offers the student a position after graduation and provides opportunities for the student to study for the industry licensure exam. The firm pays for the exam and provides additional compensation once the student successfully completes the exam. For the past several years, the firm has seen an increasing rate of turnover among newly licensed employees. While it is common in the industry for employees to leave public accounting after they are licensed, the firm is losing many of its licensed employees to competitors. The high rate of turnover is negatively affecting the firm's performance. The HR manager has been charged with reducing the number of employees leaving for competitive firms as quickly and efficiently as possible. Which action should the HR manager take to identify the reasons employees are leaving for the competition? > Review exit interview feedback from employees who left to work for competitors. > Purchase and analyze industry survey results to learn about compensation and benefits offered by competitor firms. > Contact employees who left for competitor firms to gain information about the reasons they left. > Contact competitor firms' HR directors to request information on their compensation and benefits.

Answer: Review exit interview feedback from employees who left to work for competitors. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

The director of the HR department is taking personal leave for three weeks and assigns an HR employee to work with a consulting firm to conduct a strategic planning process for the company. The consulting firm conducts interviews with 10% of the employees, but none of the interviews is with line staff. The HR employee feels that the consulting firm's approach did not fully capture the information required to support the strategic planning process, so the HR employee decides to conduct a separate data collection. The HR employee develops a company-wide survey, gains buy-in from key leaders, and presents the survey to the executive team. Once approved by the executive team, the employee administers the survey and achieves a 77% response rate. The company's CEO shares the survey results with the consulting firm so it can implement the next phase of the strategic planning process. The HR employee has noticed that the HR director has started treating the HR employee differently since returning from leave. Communication between the HR director and the HR employee is less frequent and disengaged. What should the HR employee do? > Schedule a meeting with the director to discuss the situation. > Ask the HR director if there are any problems the HR director wants to discuss. > Schedule a meeting with key leaders and the director to debrief about the strategic planning process and lessons learned. > Continue performing the HR employee's job and wait for the director to talk about any issues.

Answer: Schedule a meeting with the director to discuss the situation. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

What do the final stages of Kurt Lewin's and John Kotter's models of change management primarily focus on? > Tools to implement the change > Sustaining the change in the organization > Providing a clear sense of the future > Emotional effects on stakeholders

Answer: Sustaining the change in the organization The final stage in these models of change management is to institutionalize the change, or "refreeze" the organization. This sustainability phase is where the actions and activities of the change initiative become the new norm for, as an example, how the organization will operate or what work flow will be used.

In an effort to enrich jobs, management wants employees working at one of three assembly stations to complete the entire assembly job and put their names on the finished product. About half of the employees are resisting the change. Which is the best course of action that HR should recommend to address the resistance? > Training all employees and making the change as soon as possible > Instituting positive reinforcement policies for employees who welcome the change > Piloting the program for employees who are supportive of the change > Talking with employees opposed to the change to understand their concerns

Answer: Talking with employees opposed to the change to understand their concerns If all employees were eager for the change, the change could be implemented with as much speed as practical. However, significant changes usually require management planning and communication. Taking the time to talk with the employees resisting the change may help identify new issues or misunderstandings and can turn resistance into acceptance.

The CEO of a small local company has decided that the organization needs to embrace a model of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Despite a formal strategy not being in place, the organization has been using the principles of CSR in certain circumstances. The CEO wants the HR manager to help lead the corporate change. This change involves mindset, planning, and helping everyone embrace the change. HR is not viewed as a true partner to the organization currently, so this will be a challenge. The CEO is seeking to create a company known for treating people well, operating in a sustainable manner, and giving to worthy causes. This change will be more noticeable in some departments than in others. Because of this, the CEO would like to start with a word-of-mouth campaign prior to a large company-wide announcement. The CEO wants the HR manager to put together a plan within two to four weeks that creates this low-key way to work toward the CSR culture for the organization. HR and the CEO discuss that it will be a long-term process for change to be fully implemented. The CEO understands this but wants a plan no later than one month from the meeting. What action should the HR manager recommend to measure the acceptance of the new culture after it's announced and implemented? > Solely rely on feedback from the heads of each department to determine the effectiveness of the change. > Use both process and outcomes evaluations to determine the effectiveness of the program. > Measure employee attrition rates and see if there is an increase in employee departures after the changes. > Have spontaneous conversations with employees to see how they feel about the recent changes.

Answer: Use both process and outcomes evaluations to determine the effectiveness of the program. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

How can HR best partner with managers to implement a newly developed performance management tool? > Require managers to fill out their new evaluation forms and submit them to HR to be checked before reviewing them with employees. > Offer to fill out the forms for managers the first time so that they can review HR's work and see how they should be completed. > Use input from the managers to create a best practices guide and meet with them individually to offer support or answer questions. > Have the CEO clarify to managers the consequences if they fail to complete employee evaluations in a timely manner.

Answer: Use input from the managers to create a best practices guide and meet with them individually to offer support or answer questions. HR professionals should function as consultants to managers, which would involve getting their input and offering to support them and/or answer questions as needed. It would not involve having their bosses make threats, micromanaging, or overstepping boundaries; particularly not in a way that would suggest that HR would do a better job of evaluating their employees than they would.

The director of the HR department is taking personal leave for three weeks and assigns an HR employee to work with a consulting firm to conduct a strategic planning process for the company. The consulting firm conducts interviews with 10% of the employees, but none of the interviews is with line staff. The HR employee feels that the consulting firm's approach did not fully capture the information required to support the strategic planning process, so the HR employee decides to conduct a separate data collection. The HR employee develops a company-wide survey, gains buy-in from key leaders, and presents the survey to the executive team. Once approved by the executive team, the employee administers the survey and achieves a 77% response rate. The company's CEO shares the survey results with the consulting firm so it can implement the next phase of the strategic planning process. The employee wants to be recognized for doing a good job solving the data collection issue, but did not communicate the survey to the HR director in a reasonable time frame. How should the HR employee approach this situation? > Refrain from taking any additional action to gain recognition for solving the data collection issue. > Work with the HR director to leverage the successful data collection as a win for the entire HR department. > Apologize to the HR director for not communicating the intent to conduct a survey before launching. > Meet with HR director and senior leadership to make a presentation about the success of the company-wide survey.

Answer: Work with the HR director to leverage the successful data collection as a win for the entire HR department. Situational judgment tests (SJTs) require the examinee to think about what is occurring in the scenario and decide which response option identifies the most effective course of action. Other response options may be something you could do to respond in the situation, but SJTs require thinking and acting based on the best of the available options. Do not base your answer on your organization's approach to handling the situation, but rather, answer based on what you know should be done according to best practice. Panels of SHRM-certified subject matter experts rate the effectiveness of each response option, and the "best" answer is derived by statistical analysis of those expert opinions.

Define Force-field analysis.

Group decision-making tool designed to analyze the forces favoring and opposing a particular change. A factor is weighted, and the factors on each side are summed and compared.

Define Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA).

Group decision-making tool in which the group defines the characteristics of a successful decision and then scores each alternative against those criteria.

Define J curve.

Visualization of the impact of change on productivity. When change is introduced, there is typically a decrease in productivity and then a gradual return to or, ideally, a surpassing of previous levels of productivity.